President Lee Jae-myung's job approval fell into the 50% range for the first time in two months.
In a survey of 2,006 people aged 18 and older nationwide conducted Apr. 27–30 by Realmeter at the request of Energy Economics News, the positive evaluation of the president's job performance was 59.5%. It was the first time since the first week of Mar. that the president's approval in a Realmeter poll was in the 50% range. It fell 2.7 percentage points from the previous week.
By region, Incheon–Gyeonggi fell 8 percentage points, while Gwangju–Jeolla rose 2.7 percentage points. By age, those in their 50s and 60s fell 5.2 percentage points and 5.5 percentage points, respectively, while only those in their 20s rose 6.4 percentage points.
Realmeter said, "Amid mounting burdens on household finances such as high oil prices, a strong dollar, and rising prices, the decline appears to have resulted from a combination of destabilizing factors, including controversy over Minister Chung Dong-young's security remarks and labor-management conflict," adding, "Outflows were pronounced among those sensitive to household finances and moderates, and it appears the unstable environment, rather than policy outcomes, served as the main driver of negative evaluations."
In a party support survey of 1,006 people aged 18 and older nationwide conducted Apr. 29–30, the Democratic Party of Korea recorded 48.6% and the People Power Party 31.6%. The Democratic Party fell 2.7 percentage points from the previous week to enter the 40% range for the first time in four weeks, while the People Power Party rose 0.9 percentage points.
Realmeter said, "A decline in support for the Democratic Party was observed mainly among moderates and older age groups," adding, "As dissatisfaction among self-employed people grew amid high inflation and high oil prices, a significant outflow occurred." The Rebuilding Korea Party recorded 4.0%, the Reform Party 2.6%, and The Progressive Party 2.2%.
Both surveys were conducted using an automated response system via mobile phone.
The margin of error for the presidential job approval survey is ±2.2 percentage points at a 95% confidence level, with a response rate of 4.6%. For the party support survey, the margin of error is ±3.1 percentage points at a 95% confidence level, with a response rate of 4.6%. For details, see the National Election Survey Deliberation Commission website.